Cable sealing

ABSTRACT

A flexible wrap ( 10 ) for enclosing a cable splice ( 20 ) without external heating includes a gel layer ( 1 ) and a support layer ( 2 ). The wrap has sufficient flexibility to be manually gathered into wrinkles around the smaller parts of the cable-to-splice transition with the gel sealing the resulting enclosure. The support layer ( 2 ), which is preferably made of low density polyethylene, provides mechanical strength and facilitates the application of the wrap ( 10 ). A vapour barrier layer ( 3 ), preferably made of aluminium, may be applied on the support layer ( 2 ). A protective layer ( 4 ) may be applied on the vapour barrier layer ( 3 ). An adhesion-reducing substance ( 6 ) may be applied on at least part of the side of the gel layer ( 1 ) facing away from the support layer ( 2 ) to allow adjustment of the wrap ( 10 ) when applied on the cable splice ( 20 ). Elastic or rubber tape ( 11 ) maybe wound around the applied wrap ( 10 ) to compress the gel. A re-enterable closure having a long sealing length may be obtained.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a National Phase application of PCT/GB01/01021 filed on Mar. 7, 2001 and published in English, which claims priority from applications GB 0005309.0 filed on Mar. 7, 2000 and GB 0013820.6 filed on Jun. 7, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a flexible wrap and to a method for enclosing a cable splice using such a wrap.

Traditionally, cable splice closures would be heat-shrinkable, such that on applying heat, the closure would shrink and closely encapsulate the splice, providing a good seal. However, there is a growing demand for so-called cold applied closures, which can be applied without use of heat or other external energy source.

Several types of cold applied closures have been proposed. Some involve tape which can easily be wrapped around the cable splice. Many closures involve gel or gel-type materials because of their excellent sealing properties, especially when suitably enclosed and compressed against an object to which a seal is desired. Existing hard-shelled closures, disclosed in 15 for example WO-A-9516500, are provided with chambers for containing the gel. Although such an arrangement provides an excellent seal, the predetermined size of a hard-shelled closure requires a range of closures to be provided in order to be able to accommodate cable splices of various shapes and dimensions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to avoid these and other problems of the Prior Art and to provide a sealing component and method which can be easily and economically applied, without specific structural adaptation, to provide a cable closure which is re-enterable and which fits a wide range of cable splice sizes and shapes. These and other objects are achieved according to the present invention by a flexible wrap for enclosing a cable splice, which wrap in accordance with the present invention comprises a gel layer and a support layer, the gel layer being separate from or laminated to the support layer, wherein the wrap, when wrapped around a transition from a first elongate object of diameter 110 mm to a second elongate object of diameter 41 mm with the support layer outside (and preferably in direct contact with) the gel layer, is sufficiently flexible to be manually gathered into wrinkles around the second object with the gel sealing the closure thereto. The gel layer and the support layer may be wrapped separately around the transition between the first and second cables or other conduits to which a seal is desired, preferably with the gel layer and support layer in direct contact with each other, although other thin flexible layers might be interposed between them, for example as a vapour barrier. More preferably, the gel layer and support layer will be laminated together to provide a single sheet wrap.

In preferred wraps according to this invention, an adhesion-reducing substance is applied on at least part of the surface of the gel layer facing away from the support layer; or alternatively, a low-adhesion gel could be used. Such reduced gel adhesion facilitates installation of the wrap in use, as will be explained hereinafter, but wraps without reduced gel adhesion are not excluded. Another preferred form of flexible wrap according to the present invention may comprise a vapour barrier layer, which may be on the surface of the support layer facing away from, or on the surface of the support layer facing towards, the gel layer in use, or may be incorporated as an intermediate layer within the support layer, or may be provided separately from the support layer between it and the gel layer. The wrap may include both the adhesion-reducing substance and the vapour barrier layer.

The gel layer in the wraps according to this invention will be selected by known criteria to provide excellent sealing properties, while the support layer contains the gel and prevents it from being pressed out of the closure formed from the wrap in use. In addition, the support layer provides mechanical protection and improves the sealing properties of the wrap.

A flexible wrap including a gel layer according to the invention can be wrapped around a cable splice with the gel layer facing inwards allowing an easy transition from the larger splice diameter to the smaller cable diameter while advantageously providing an extremely long sealing length. The gel layer has the unique ability, not possessed by mastics and other known sealants, to maintain effective sealing when portions of the wrap projecting beyond the splice are gathered into wrinkles around (and preferably secured around) the cable(s) and/or the smaller end of the transition region. This provides both great versatility and ease of end sealing, enabling the mechanically simple wrap according to this invention to be used over a wide range of cable and splice shapes and sizes.

To facilitate the handling and installation of the wrap, the exposed surface of the normally tacky gel, with or without the aforementioned adhesion-reducing substance, may be wholly or partially covered by a removable cover layer, preferably constituted by so-called release paper. This cover layer shields the sticky surface of the gel layer and thus facilitates the handling of the wrap. On installation, the cover layer is removed and the stickiness of the gel layer is utilised to apply the wrap and keep it in place.

The inventors have found that it may in some cases be undesirably (although not necessarily unacceptably) difficult to adjust the position of the wrap once the gel layer sticks to the cable splice. For this reason, it is preferable that at least part of the gel layer on the flexible wrap of the present invention is provided with the aforementioned adhesion-reducing substance, for example a powder. This adhesion-reducing substance, which might be said to constitute a second, non-removable cover layer, reduces the tack sufficiently for convenient adjustment of the wrap position when laid over the cable splice. In a preferred embodiment the adhesion-reducing substance comprises talc powder. Alternatively, wraps having a gel layer at least part of which has low or substantially zero tack could be used, possibly without any cover layer and/or possibly without any adhesion-reducing substance, and with or without the vapour barrier layer.

Preferably, the wrap comprises a middle section provided with the adhesion-reducing substance and two adjoining outer sections not provided with said substance. Prior to the application of the wrap, the middle section is uncovered by removal of a middle portion of the cover layer (if present), while the outer sections preferably each remain protected by outer portions of the removable cover layer. Although a single piece of cover material could be used to cover both the outer sections and the middle section of the gel layer, or three pieces of cover material could be used respectively to cover the middle section and the outer sections, it may be preferable for individual pieces of cover material to cover only the outer sections, leaving the middle section covered only by the adhesion-reducing substance.

Preferably, the support layer comprises a substantially continuous, substantially non-elastomeric sheet of material having suitable flexibility and thickness (readily determined by trial and error or by methods hereinafter described) for the present wrapping purposes. Such a layer can be selected to provide good mechanical strength as well as good bonding with the gel layer. Polyethylene, especially linear low density polyethylene, with or without known adhesion-promoting surface treatments or coatings, is one example of a preferred material for the support layer.

A vapour barrier layer is not essential, but may be provided on the support layer as aforesaid, preferably on the surface the facing away from the gel layer. Such a vapour barrier layer prevents moisture vapour transmission through the wrap. Advantageously, the vapour barrier layer comprises aluminium, for example aluminium foil. The aluminium layer provides an excellent moisture vapour barrier, which may be especially desirable in applications where the splice enclosure is not completely filled with sealant and/or other materials.

Advantageously, a protective layer is provided on the side of the wrap facing away from the gel layer. Such a protective layer is preferably selected to provide enhanced tear and puncture resistance. Examples of suitable materials are PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or LDPE (low-density polyethylene).

A closure according to the present invention comprises a flexible wrap as discussed above. In addition, such a closure may comprise other components such as flexible tape for applying pressure on the gel in the wrap.

The present invention further provides a method of providing a cable closure enclosing a cable splice, which method comprises the steps of applying on the cable splice a flexible wrap comprising a gel layer and a support layer, preferably a wrap as defined above; adjusting the position of the flexible wrap as desired so that it extends beyond the splice over adjacent cable or transition regions of smaller diameter than the splice; wrapping the flexible wrap around the cable splice; and gathering the wrap into wrinkles and securing it around the said cable or transition regions. Preferably, the method includes the step of winding tape around the wrap so as to cover the cable closure. Winding the tape around the wrap exerts pressure on the gel layer, thus enhancing its sealing action. This tape preferably is an elastic plastic or rubber tape, the elasticity of which ensures that the gel layer of the wrap is kept under compression after installation, for example in case of ambient temperature cycling which may vary between minus 30 and plus 60 degrees Celsius. In addition, a rubber tape tends to improve the puncture resistance of the resulting splice closure.

In addition to its use in directly wrapped “dry” splice closures, the wrap of the present invention is particularly suitable for filled splices incorporating liquid encapsulant, preferably a curable liquid encapsulant of known kind, for example a two-part epoxy encapsulant system. In this case, the flexible wrap may be initially wrapped around the cable splice in such a manner that an envelope having an upwardly facing opening is formed, the liquid encapsulant is poured into the opening, and the opening is subsequently folded closed and secured to retain the liquid encapsulant before and during solidification. Another possibility is to pre-form a filled splice by known methods and protect it by applying the wrap according to the present invention over the pre-formed filled splice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will further be explained with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 schematically shows, in a partially exposed view, flexible wrap of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows, in perspective, a filled and wrapped cable splice;

FIG. 3 shows, in perspective, a cable splice provided with a plastic liner;

FIG. 4 shows, in perspective, how the wrap of the present invention is wrapped around the cable splice of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows, in perspective, how (transparent) tape is applied over the wrapped cable splice of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows, in perspective, part of the completed closure of FIG. 5 in more detail;

FIGS. 7 to 10 show, in perspective, how an encapsulated filled cable splice is applied using the wrap of the present invention;

FIG. 11 schematically shows, in perspective, a preferred embodiment of the flexible wrap of the present invention;

FIGS. 12 and 13 schematically show, in perspective, how the flexible wrap of FIG. 11 is applied;

FIGS. 14 to 19 illustrate a test method, described hereinafter, for selecting the wraps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The flexible wrap 10 schematically shown in FIG. 1 comprises, in this particular embodiment, four layers:

-   -   a gel layer 1;     -   a support layer 2;     -   a an optional vapour barrier layer 3; and     -   an optional protective layer 4.         The gel layer 1 may consist of thermoplastic gel known per se.         The support layer 2, which in this preferred embodiment is         constituted by low density polyethylene, provides mechanical         stability to the gel. The vapour barrier layer 3 is in this         embodiment is a moisture vapour transmission barrier constituted         by a layer of aluminium foil. The polyethylene support layer 2         ensures good bonding respectively of the aluminium and the gel,         even when the wrap 10 is folded.

The protective layer 4, which in this embodiment is constituted by a layer of PE (polyethylene) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) applied on the other side of the aluminium foil, protects the aluminium and helps to resist puncturing and tearing, as well as chemical resistance to the environment. It will be understood that the vapour barrier layer 3 and/or the protective layer 4 may be omitted, depending on the actual materials used and the end use conditions to be experienced by the wrap. Likewise, the thickness of the wrap, which largely corresponds to the thickness of the gel layer 1, will depend on the intended use of the wrap. Although a total wrap thickness of about 1 to 1.5 mm is preferred, wraps having a much greater or somewhat smaller thickness can be envisaged.

The cable splice 20 shown in FIG. 2 is wrapped in a retaining tape 18 which retains any filling material. The retaining tape 18 applied on the filling material provides a solid surface on which a flexible wrap according to the invention can be applied, as will be explained with reference to FIG. 4.

A solid or levelled surface may also be obtained by applying a liner 12, as shown in FIG. 3, wherein the liner 12 is made of plastic and has flexible fingers 13 extending in the direction of the cables 21. Tape 19 is wound around the cables 21 at the ends of the flexible fingers 13 to retain them. In this way, a smooth and solid transition from the splice diameter to the cable diameter is obtained.

As shown in FIG. 4 the levelled or solidified splice 20 of FIG. 2 (or of FIG. 3) can be wrapped in a flexible wrap 10 of the present invention with the gel layer 1 (FIG. 1) facing the splice. Subsequently an elastic tape 11 is tightly wound around the wrap 1, as shown in FIG. 5. Preferably the tape is a plastic or rubber tape. The tape can be self-adhesive.

Part of the resulting closure 15 is shown in more detail in FIG. 6. The tight wrapping of the tape 11 has resulted in compression of the gel layer of the wrap 10 over the entire length of the closure, resulting in an exceptional sealing length. This compression is particularly advantageous near the ends of the closure, as the gel layer provides a good seal against the cable 21. Also, the tape 11 has gathered the flexible wrap 10 into wrinkles, creating gel-to-gel contact in successive wrinkles 9. It can thus be seen that the wrap of the invention provides a closure having excellent sealing properties while being easy to install on a wide range of splice and cable shapes and sizes. It is noted that no tools or applied heat are required to apply the closure. Also, the closure is re-enterable in that the tape 11 can be removed, after which the wrap 10 is openable and reusable, due to the cohesive strength and resulting clean separation of the gel from surfacecontact with itself or other bodies. The closure provided by the invention can therefore be used as both a temporary and a permanent closure.

It is shown in FIGS. 7–10 how the flexible wrap of the present invention can be used to make an encapsulant-filled cable closure. As shown in FIG. 7, in a first step, the wrap 10 is applied directly on the cable splice 20 without prior filling of the splice as in FIGS. 2 and 3. To enhance the sealing at the ends of the closure, gel tapes 14 are wound around the cables 21 prior to applying the flexible wrap 10. However, these gel tapes 14 are not essential and may be omitted in various applications.

In the second step, shown in FIG. 8, the wrap 10 is folded so as to form a pouch 19 having an upward facing opening 8. On both sides of the opening 8 the edges of the wrap 10 are curled together to close off the sides of the pouch. Also, sealing tape 17 is wound around the wrap at the ends of the closure. The gel layer of the wrap 10 will in both instances provide proper sealing, preferably enhanced by the action of the gel tapes 14 (FIG. 7).

In the third step, as shown in FIG. 9, liquid encapsulant 16 is poured into the pouch 19 through the opening 8 and is allowed to fill the pouch.

In the fourth step, shown in FIG. 10, the pouch is closed by folding it over and tape 11 is firmly wound around the wrap 10, putting the gel layer of the wrap under compression. This completes the cable closure 15.

When the flexible wrap 10 is applied on a cable splice, the adhesive nature of the gel layer 1 (FIG. 1) will make the wrap stick to the cable splice. Although this “stickiness” helps to keep the wrap in place, it may make it less-than-ideally convenient to adjust the position of the wrap. According to a further aspect of the present invention, therefore, part of the gel layer 1 is provided with an adhesion-reducing substance 6 to facilitate the application of the wrap on the cable splice and to allow any adjustment (e.g. moving the wrap along the length of the cable splice). The adhesion-reducing substance 6 advantageously is a powder, such as talc powder.

As shown in FIG. 11, the part of the gel layer on which the adhesion-reducing substance 6 is applied is a middle section 8 of the side of the gel layer 1 facing away from the support layer 2 (that is, facing up in FIG. 11). On both sides of the middle section 8 there are outer or side sections 9 on which the substance 6 is not applied. To facilitate the handling of the wrap 10 before it is applied, a removable cover layer 5 is applied on each of the outer sections 9. In the preferred embodiment the cover layer 5 is constituted by wraps of special paper, so-called release paper. Instead of two separate wraps of release paper for each of the outer sections 9, a single wrap of paper covering the entire flexible wrap 10 could be used.

As shown in FIG. 12, the wrap 10 of FIG. 11 is preferably applied with the cover layer 5 still in place. The middle section 8 with the adhesion-reducing substance is advantageously large enough to cover all of the cable splice. After adjusting the wrap 10, which adjusting may include aligning the rims of the wrap 10, the cover layer 5 (paper wraps) is removed and the two sticky outer sections are pressed together. As these outer sections are sticky, they will stay together. Subsequently further steps may be carried out as shown in, for example, FIG. 5 or FIG. 8.

It is noted that the invention can accommodate closures of almost any size. The only tool which may be required is a pair of scissors or a knife to cut the wrap 10 to size and/or to cut off any tape that may be required. Mechanical forces, such as axial pulling forces, do not affect the sealing of the closure. Due to the gel layer the wrap of the present invention provides closures having a self healing effect: the pressurised gel is able to seal off small punctures caused by sharp objects. In addition, the gel layer automatically provides a spacing between any connectors contained in the splice and the outer layers of the closure, thus preventing punctures from within.

Closures comprising a wrap according to the present invention can be used for both telecommunications cables and power cables.

In addition to the advantages of easier positioning during installation provided by the adhesion-reducing material on the gel, further advantages have been demonstrated in terms of re-enterability of the closure after installation. Gel with talc adhesion-reducing material on its surface can be separated cleanly, substantially without damage to the gel, from a surface (of the gel itself or of another object) with which it has been pressed into contact. Such clean separation is attainable over a much wider range of separation temperatures, for example from minus 45 to plus 80 or 90 degrees Celsius, than can be achieved with a corresponding un-talced gel or with a mastic sealant. The un-talced gel tends to be undesirably difficult to separate at separation temperatures of −15 degrees Celsius and below, while the mastics tend to undergo cohesive failure at all separation temperatures.

The unique ability of the gel to maintain sealing in the gathered wrinkles of the wrap according to the invention is demonstrated as follows. A suitably flexible support of less than 0.1 mm thickness comprising alternating layers of aluminium foil and linear low density polyethylene film is coated with gel to a total wrap thickness of about 1.5 mm. This wrap is wrapped around a transition between two hollow conduits respectively of diameter 110 mm and 41 mm. The applied wrap is sealed around the conduits by pulling cable ties around it at various tensions, measured by spring balance or more preferably applied by static weights attached to the cable ties, to produce a closure according to the invention with the wrap ends gathered around the respective conduits. Internal gas pressure of 5 kPa is applied while the closure is immersed in a water bath at various temperatures. The emergence of bubbles at the gathered ends of the wrap indicates when the applied cable tie tension is insufficient to enable the gel seal to resist the internal gas pressure. It has been found for the above specified wrap that a tie tension of only 69 to 98 Newtons (7 to 10 kg force) is sufficient to retain the gas when tested at 22 degrees Celsius, rising to about 98 to 196 Newtons (10 to 20 kg force) at 45 degrees, and rising to about 127 to 235 Newtons (13 to 24 kg force) at minus 10 degrees. By way of comparison, thicker, less flexible gel-coated wraps require tie tensions of about 147 to greater than 265 Newtons (15 to greater than 27 kg force) to retain the gas even at 22 degrees Celsius, while mastic-coated wraps tend to fail at all temperatures, even when the ties are tensioned to more than 265 Newtons (27 kg force).

The procedure for this Pressure Retention Test is as follows, with reference to the illustrative FIGS. 14 to 19.

-   1. Scope

This method covers the determination of the Force (N) needed to gather into wrinkles and seal off an oversized gel wrap around a small cable diameter.

-   2. Samples and Equipment     -   a) Gel wrap: As selected for test. (Pref. width 450 mm, length         550 mm)     -   b) HDPE tube: Outer diameter 110 mm, length 400 mm.     -   c) HDPE tube: Outer diameter 41 mm, length 700 mm.     -   d) Cable Tie: commercially available self-locking UV stabilised         Nylon 66 of appropriate length having head width 14.2 mm and         head thickness 8.8 mm; and having tail width 8.9 mm and tail         thickness 2 mm, with teeth formed on the tail which engage the         head to self-lock the tie as the tail is drawn through the head.     -   e) Water bath at 22° C. and 45° C.     -   f) Water bath with ice water (0° C.).     -   g) Weights of 27 kg, 24 kg, 20 kg, 15 kg, 10 kg and means for         attaching them to the tail of the cable ties.     -   h) Hose clamp.     -   i) Pressure delivery device to create an internal pressure of 5         kPa.     -   j) Temperature chamber at −10° C. and +45° C. -   4. Procedure     a. Test at Room Temperature (22° C.)

Seal off the ends of the small tube by existing methods (for example heat shrinkable end caps) and provide at one end pressure access. Drill some holes in the smaller tube at 350 mm from the end of the tube. (See FIG. 14)

Centre the smaller tube inside the bigger tube and seal the gap between the tubes by existing methods (for example inflatable bags). Fix the smaller tube in the wider tube so that minimum 350 mm of the smaller tube including the drilled holes sticks out of the bigger tube. (See FIG. 14) [It is to be noted that this assembly of two tubes may be replaced by a one-piece closed hollow mandrel shaped to provide a corresponding large-to-small transition with suitable pressure inlet means and corresponding pressure outlet holes.]

Put the gel wrap over the transition area between the two tubes (See FIG. 14). Form a flap of 100 mm by sticking the wrapped edges of the gel wrap together (See FIG. 15). Fold this flap in two and fix it to the bigger tube with some vinyl tape (See FIG. 16). Place a big hose clamp around the gel wrap on the bigger tube to tighten this end of the gel wrap (See FIG. 17). If necessary an extra amount of gel can be put under the gel wrap and the hose clamp to be sure there won't be any leaks at this end during testing.

Take the cable tie and install it loosely to gather the applied wrap around the smaller tube at a distance of 150 mm from the bigger tube so as to enclose the part of the smaller tube having the drilled holes (See FIG. 18). To avoid any pressure leaks in the longitudinal seal along the wrap between the hose clamp and the cable tie, some vinyl tape is wrapped around the gel wrap in this area to prevent unrolling of the aforementioned flap (See FIG. 19).

Support the ends of the whole assembly in a way that the friction is minimised (for example on rollers) and attach smoothly the selected weight to the tail of the cable tie, taking care to align the applied weight fully on the cable tie. Let the weight hang for 1 minute to tighten the tie (See FIG. 19), then remove the weight leaving the tie self-locked around the gathered portion of the wrap.

Put the assembly in the water bath, connect a pressure tube from the pressure delivery device to the pressure access of the small tube, and apply internal air pressure of 5 kPa. If there are no air bubbles escaping from the end of the enclosure where the wrap is gathered and tied around the small tube during an immersion time of 1 minute at the internal air pressure of 5 kPa, the wrap passes the test.

b. Test at +45° C.

Same procedure as above, except: Condition the gel sheet for 4 hours at 45° C. before testing. Carry out the test in a temperature chamber at 45° C. in which the sample is immersed in a water bath at 45° C.

c. Test at −10° C.

Same procedure as above, except: Condition the gel sheet for 4 hours at −10° C. before testing. Carry out the test in a temperature chamber at −10° C. in which the sample is immersed in an ice water bath at 0° C.

-   5. Reporting

Record the applied tension (N) on the cable tie necessary to seal off the assembly at the internal pressure of 5 kPa. For preferred gel wraps, this tension will be less than or equal to 265 Newtons (27 kg force) at the three different test temperatures.

The above Pressure Retention Test thus serves as a method of selecting preferred wraps having sufficient flexibility for convenient installation according to the present invention. Preferably, wraps will be selected which are capable of preventing bubbles from escaping at all test temperatures from minus 10 to plus 45 degrees Celsius when the specified cable tie is tightened to a tension of not more than 265 Newtons (27 kg force), preferably not more than 235 Newtons (24 kg force), more preferably not more than 196 Newtons (20 kg force), and especially not more than 147 Newtons (15 kg force). Especially preferred are wraps which prevent bubbles at 22 degrees Celsius with a cable tie tension of less than 98 Newtons (10 kg force).

Preferred support layers for use in the wraps of the present invention have a laminate structure of total thickness about 81 micrometres comprising successive layers of about:

-   30 micrometres thickness low density polyethylene, -   12 micrometres thickness polyethylene terephthalate, -   9 micrometres thickness aluminium foil, -   30 micrometres thickness low density polyethylene.

The gel is melt coated onto this laminate in known manner, preferably to a total wrap thickness of about 1.5 mm plus or minus 0.5 mm.

The gels for use in accordance with the present invention may be any of the curable or thermoplastic oleophilic polymer gels described in numerous patents, notably by Raychem companies. Preferred gels are known thermoplastic triblock copolymer gels, examples including those described in Raychem U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,250 (RK451) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,882 (RK469), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein. 

1. A flexible sheet wrap for forming a closure around a cable splice or other object to be sealed independently of heat, other external energy source or catalytic agent, the wrap comprising a gel layer and a flexible support layer, the gel layer being separate from or laminated to the support layer, wherein the wrap, when wrapped around a transition from a first cable or object to a second cable or object having a cross-sectional area less than the first cable or object, is sufficiently flexible to be manually gathered into overlapping wrinkles around the second cable or object with the gel sealing the closure thereto, and wherein an adhesion-reducing substance is applied on an elongate middle section of the gel layer adjoined by two outer sections on which the substance is not applied on a surface of the gel layer facing away from the support layer.
 2. A flexible wrap according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the second cable or object is at least 30% less than the diameter of the first cable or object.
 3. A flexible wrap according to claim 2, wherein the diameter of the second cable or object is at least 50% less than the diameter of the first cable or object.
 4. A flexible wrap according to claim 3, wherein the diameter of the second cable or object is substantially in the range 60 to 70% less than the diameter of the first cable or object.
 5. A flexible wrap according to claim 1, wherein the adhesion-reducing substance comprises a powder.
 6. A flexible wrap according to claim 5, wherein the powder comprises a talc powder.
 7. A flexible wrap according to claim 1, wherein a removable cover layer is applied to the surface of the gel layer facing away from the support layer on part(s) on which the adhesion-reducing substance is not applied.
 8. A flexible wrap according to claim 7, wherein the removable cover layer comprises at least one sheet of cover material.
 9. A flexible wrap according to claim 8, wherein the least one sheet of cover material comprises paper.
 10. A flexible wrap according to claim 1, wherein the support layer comprises polyethylene.
 11. A flexible wrap according claim 10, wherein the support layer comprises low density polyethylene.
 12. A flexible wrap according to claim 1, further comprising a vapour barrier layer.
 13. A flexible wrap according to claim 12, wherein the vapour barrier layer is provided on a surface of the support layer facing away from the gel layer.
 14. A flexible wrap according to claim 12, wherein the vapour barrier layer comprises aluminium.
 15. A flexible wrap according to claim 1, wherein a protective layer is provided on an outer surface of the wrap on an opposite side thereof to the gel layer.
 16. A flexible wrap according to claim 15, wherein the protective layer comprises at least one of PET or LDPE.
 17. A closure for a cable splice including the flexible wrap of claim 1 wrapped and forming the closure around the cable splice and around smaller cable portions adjoining the splice, with the wrap gathered into overlapping wrinkles around the cable portions so that the gel seals the closure.
 18. A closure according to claim 17, further comprising tape wrapped around the wrapped wrap to compress the gel within the closure.
 19. A closure according to claim 18, wherein the tape comprises elastic plastics tape or rubber tape.
 20. A closure according to claim 18, wherein the tape also secures the gathered wrinkles of the wrap, thereby securing the closure seal.
 21. A closure according to claim 17, wherein the closure formed by the wrap is configured to prevent gas escaping therefrom when secured by a cable tie at a tension less than or equal to 265 Newtons (27 kg force) and internally pressurized at 5 kPa at temperatures in the range of minus 10 to plus 22 degrees Celsius.
 22. A closure according to claim 21, wherein the closure is configured to prevent the gas escaping when the cable tie tension is not greater than 98 Newtons (10 kg force) and the temperature is substantially 22 degrees Celsius.
 23. A closure according to claim 17 further comprising at least one of a tape or a liner between the cable splice and the wrap that levels a surface of the cable splice.
 24. A closure according to claim 23 wherein the at least one of a tape or a liner comprises a liner and wherein the liner comprises at least one of a plastics liner or a liner having flexible fingers.
 25. A closure according to claim 17 further comprising an encapsulant between the cable splice and the wrap.
 26. A closure according to claim 25 further comprising gel tapes wrapped around the cable portions at opposite ends of the cable splice and wherein the wrap covers the gel tapes and wherein movement of the encapsulant from the closure is limited by the gel tapes.
 27. A flexible sheet wrap for forming a closure around a cable splice or other object to be sealed independently of heat, other external energy source or catalytic agent, the wrap comprising a gel layer and a flexible support layer, the gel layer being separate from or laminated to the support layer, wherein the wrap, when wrapped around a transition from a first cable or object to a second cable or object having a cross-sectional area less than the first cable or object, is sufficiently flexible to be manually gathered into overlapping wrinkles around the second cable or object with the gel sealing the closure thereto, wherein an adhesion-reducing substance is applied on at least part of the surface of the gel layer facing away from the support layer and wherein a removable cover layer is applied to the surface of the gel layer facing away from the support layer on part(s) on which the adhesion-reducing substance is not applied.
 28. A flexible sheet wrap for forming a closure around a cable splice or other object to be sealed independently of heat, other external energy source or catalytic agent, the wrap comprising a gel layer and a flexible support layer, the gel layer being separate from or laminated to the support layer, wherein the wrap, when wrapped around a transition from a first cable or object to a second cable or object having a cross-sectional area less than the first cable or object, is sufficiently flexible to be manually gathered into overlapping wrinkles around the second cable or object with the gel sealing the closure thereto, wherein an aluminum vapour barrier layer is provided on a surface of the support layer facing away from the gel layer. 